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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Being totally nosy re: school admissions

40 replies

DriverDan · 22/02/2011 11:39

Will find out what school DD is going to in April and quite nervous as the lovely school that we live very close to (0.4 miles) is the most oversubscribed school in my city!

I know it isn't necessarily relevant, and the catchment changes year on year based on oversubscription, older sibling priority blah blah blah but...I would still be interested in how far you live from your DC's school and whether they are your first at that school (ie. not sibling priority) and if it is an over subscribed school.

Again I know it doesn't apply to my own situation but I don't know anyone with primary aged kids so this will give me an idea of real life scenarios. Gotta pass the time til April somehow

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cheesesarnie · 22/02/2011 11:50

ds2 started his lovely school in september.its not the closest to us,its over subscribed and although he has a brother at the school,his sister goes to the closer,not oversubscribed school.we were shocked when he got into our 1st choice but delighted!

SoupDragon · 22/02/2011 11:53

I can t remember how far we are from DSs school - I think it's 0.8 mile. My firstborn got in there with no problems 9first round of place offers). However, perhaps 4 years later, a friend living 3 houses further up the road (but probably not actually further away IYSWIM!) did not get in.

SoupDragon · 22/02/2011 11:54

This year my neighbour's firstborn did get in.

SoupDragon · 22/02/2011 11:55

And yes, it is over subscribed :)

Clearly the catchment changes each year.

witchwithallthetrimmings · 22/02/2011 11:58

In our area (kent) they have actually started to list the distance between the home of the last person on the list and the school. For our school it was about 1.2 miles. and there were 180 applicants for 60 places

LoisSanger · 22/02/2011 12:32

Where we are now are about 0.2 miles from school and got in. School not oversubscribed in DD's (reception) year but was for DS (now year 2, was year 1 when we moved) but school has split classes so no problem.

Where we were, we lived about 0.4 miles from oversubscribed school and DS got in. There was no sibling priority and DD got a place as well - not everyone in the village got in for that year. Much fewer children applying there thus year I have heard.

Original poster

DriverDan · 22/02/2011 13:44

Thanks for the feedback guys. All I hear (and all anyone wants to tell me) is how their brother's wife's sister's dd didn't get in despite living in the playground etc etc So it's good to hear the other side. Like I said I don't know any primary aged kids myself so I think people like to make up tell me stories about how no one ever gets their first choice

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CiderhouseBob · 22/02/2011 13:48

0.4 miles puts you in good stead for a place tbh, unless you live in a tower block with a zillion other reception aged children who also live 0.4 miles away.

We got in on the waiting list in yr1 so that's not much help to you - and we're 1.7 miles I think? or 1.4. And it's really oversubbed.

It depends on how many sibs they have and how many with other reasons such as religion.

Can you ring the office and ask them what they think your chances are? They will be returning their lists around now, ours have to be submitted by the 1st of March (Kent) so will know how many sibs.

icancancan · 22/02/2011 13:53

we didnt get in - 0.8 miles away - last offer 0.26! literally 4 road intake (of very high rental/house prices!). 20th on the waiting list believe it or not - s. london if that helps. good luck, don't think its that bad in most areas of the UK - London is a different kettle of fish ...

ComeIntoTheGardenMaud · 22/02/2011 14:31

It varies so much from LEA to LEA. Here - densely-populated urban area - you can be too far away from a one-form entry school at 300m.

ninani · 22/02/2011 14:59

It also depends on how many classes each year has. Some schools' last person admitted might live ..round the corner but they might only have 2 classes and lots of siblings. If your school has 4 classes for R then IMO you def have a place.

CameronCook · 22/02/2011 15:08

Massively over subscribed village school with a PAN of 20 - the year DS started the child admitted from furthest away lived 7 miles away; the year DD started the furthest away non sibling admitted lived .4 miles away.

We live 2 miles away, although it was second choice and DD went as a sibling.

Re - not getting in - ask to go on the waiting list if your not confrontational - if you are confrontational then appeal - last year 4 children got in on spurious reasons appeal - if the school can accomodate the children then they have to take them is what the Head told us - as there were spaces further up the school then they had to accept them.

skinandblister · 22/02/2011 15:14

My First born got into oversubscribed city school Sept'10. One form entry, 19 of those places awarded to siblings!! We live just under 0.5 miles away, neighbour 10 doors down from us did not get in! Cut off has ranged from 300 metres to 800 metres in past so we literally got in by the skin of our teeth. Also think that because a more popular school (3/4 of a mile away) went to 4 form entry from 3 form it opened the distance up...phew!

Good luck, hope you get the school you want.

MrsBrollyhook · 22/02/2011 15:21

My DD1 got into her oversubscribed school Sept 09, we're 2.5m away, but it's a village school - there a several schools closer to us in the suburbs that she'd not have got into.

The school now has an outstanding Ofsted so is more popular, luckily sibling priority has moved above catchment for 2011, as my DD2 will be starting in Sept - unless there are 31 siblings, she should be in safely!

coccyx · 22/02/2011 15:24

My oldest daughter got into an oversubscribed school 3 miles away. But we are in Lincolnshire

lexxity · 22/02/2011 15:25

DS1 didn't get into our first preference last year, we were 0.36 miles away! 18 siblings in 1 form school! Furthest away was 0.26! We were bolshy and eventually got a place at a different school in a different village, which suited us as we were moving house anyway. Lots of children didn't get any of their preference last year, this is due to the council closing schools despite evidence of a rising birthrate. It's looking likely to happen again this year! My son's school has a 1 form intake of 15 and there are 10 siblings and 20 children listing for a place.

Original poster

DriverDan · 22/02/2011 16:20

Thanks everyone. Just checked the book and it has 90 places (4 class intake?) So will hopefully improve chances.

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Clary · 22/02/2011 16:35

DS1 wqas my first at his lovely infant and associated junior school.

We live about 0.5 mile away. Maybe a touch more.

It is not always oversubscribed despite being so good; possible intake is 80 and none of my 3 is in a year of 80. In other years there have been more apply tho, eg there were appeals for current yr 2 (a big year all over) and most were unsuccessful.

Still everyone in catchment gets in. Catchment is about 0.7m but not in a simple circle because of another nearby school.

Clary · 22/02/2011 16:35

OP 90 places will be 3 classes almost certainly.

admission · 22/02/2011 16:55

DriverDan,
With a 90 place intake i would expect 3 classes of 30 as the normal classroom decision.
Whilst I would have thought at 0.4 miles away, if the admission is mainly on distance, you should have a reasonable chance of getting a place you can always go to appeal if not. You don't have to be confrontational to go to appeal just have a reasonable case.
However you do need to understand the legal position around infant class sizes. The maximum number in any infant class size with one school teacher is 30, so with an admission number of 90, the infant class size regs will apply. What that effectively means is that at appeal you will only be given a place if there has been a mistake made by the admission authority

antimony · 22/02/2011 17:06

You should be able to get your education authority to tell you the distances for last year's intake - lots put them on their websites. Be grateful you don't live here - 0.13 miles was this year's furthest distance for our nearest non-faith school.We are 26th on the waiting list.

cece · 22/02/2011 17:18

I have just checked my county's admissions interactive map.

My DC go to a school that is my 6th nearest school.

It is 1.2 miles away or 1,998 metres.

The year my eldest one went into Reception it was a full year and it has continued to be completely full. If anyone leaves, near;y always someone new starts straight away.

However, nI would add that there are 90 children in a year group so there is plenty of room in the school!

cece · 22/02/2011 17:22

90 children is definitely 3 classes.

In the Juniors it goes up to 3 classes but 96 children here.

CameronCook · 22/02/2011 18:04

Confrontational was probably a poor choice of words on my part - but it does take some guts to go through the appeal process as it is quite daunting.

Original poster

DriverDan · 22/02/2011 18:22

slaps forehead Yes, 3 classes, not 4, me being stupid there!

There is a girl a few doors down who I think is reception age, so would have gotten in despite it being quite over subscribed last year. Obviously all I can do is speculate til April! Would probably just go on waiting list if got my 2nd or 3rd choice, can't imagine I'd have any grounds to appeal.

Some of the in take distances described here are tiny, you really would need to live in the playground

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